Improvement in game-cards



P. WEST.

Game-Cards. i

No.l55,l3l. Patented sept.15,1s74.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRESBURY WEST, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WEST 85 LEE GAME AND PRINTING COMPANY.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAME-CARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155, [3 l, dated September 15, 1874 application filed July 7, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PREsBURY WEST, of the city and county of' Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new p and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which the invention belongs to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying` drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which are shown groups of cards illustrating the nature of my invention.

This invention consists in a series of cards or card-blocks, separately printed with objectpictures and alphabet-letters, for the purpose of amusement or pastime in forming therewith hieroglyphic or rebus Words and sentences.

The cards are preferably printed or lithographed on both sides alike, as this obviates the necessity of turning, a portion of' them being illustrated with small pictures of some object the name of which can, by reason of its orthography, sound, or signification, be employed as a portion of a word or sentence. Other cards are printed with the several letters of the alphabet, (with numerals, if desired,) and these picture and letter cards are combined in packs of two hundred, more or less, each pack containing a suitable number of` separate objects and letters, and duplicates thereof, as may be required. These cards, when thus composed of object-pictures and letters, as set forth, are capable of affording much amusement, as well as being a means for the exercise of thought and skill in the composition of sentences and words.

As a game, the cards may be played as follows: The cards having been divided between the players, the several players proceed to form words and sentences by arranging the pictures and letters in proper order, and the one forming the greatest number in a given time is considered the winner. The words may be formed by letting the objects represent parts of compound words, as illustrated by Fig. l; or by usng'the objects as Aletters for spelling the word, as in Fig. 2; or

by making up sentences of objects and letters, as in Fig. 3, or in any other way whereby the proper meaning can be attained by combining the several cards. Another method is to select a certain number of objects and letters constituting a word or sentence, and give them, as a puzzle, to be properly arranged by anothcr player. Much lamusement can also be derived from the exercise of arranging a certain number of the cards in different ways, and studying the different combinations which can thus be produced.

I am aware that lettered cards have heretofore been employed as puzzle amusements, and I do not herein make claim to such puzzles or games 5 but What I do claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

A hieroglyphic-game apparatus, consisting, essentially, of' a series of cards or card-blocks, carrying upon their faces letters of the alphabet and pictures of objects, respectively, as described and shown, for the purpose of constructin g rebus sentences, substantially as set forth.

PRESBURY VEST. Y Witnesses:

CHAs. H. BURLEIGH, M. F. HAMMOND. 

